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In a message dated 9/22/98 8:03:27 AM Central Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes: << Here I disagree. It seems to me that if maybe the people who are fighting our cause in congress were sufficiently aware of all these other issues; if we didn't just keep hammering home "MONEY FOR RESEARCH" over and over again, but reminded them that there are real people with real issues involved. - maybe, just maybe be, 62% of the money wouldn't have been channelled off to other causes.....! >> Hillary, Maybe you are right. However, I think it remains important to continue contacting and telling them something. By this I don't mean we need to be unfriendly, demanding, or critical. When I first looked into the Mo, I thought that the bill made great economic sense (still do). I felt that surely all that was needed was to point this out to the legislators and they would act on it in a short time. Maybe they do not agree. I have a tough time understanding why. They certainly have not done as I thought they would. I long to be able to do nothing. However, I am relatively certain that would not help. As I understand it, most of the money "channeled off" is not a congressional attack of passive aggression but a priority decision at NIH. To correct that requires a lot of congressional backing. It may be time to take a "humanitarian approach." Perhaps they would then do the thing and get (allow) us to shut up. Already, I notice a tendency for me to talk much more to listmembers, as we are doing now, than to the legislators. I find that OK if I remember that so doing is less than contacting someone with the power to act on this matter. Sometimes others just do not see our vision. When that vision is important, it seems up to us to show them. It will all be over for this year soon. However, as a veteran of the Mo Wars I want to see more success this year. My reason? When I say it will all be over, I did not include you and me. "Losing" does nothing for the PD from which we all continue to suffer. Unlike the AIDS advocates who got an astounding amount for their unceasing efforts, we are not asking for "more money" here. From the very beginning, we have asked for a fixed, identified amount. A lot of thought has gone into that figure. Ask Mike C. sometime to explain it again. Regards, WHH